Hardening and annealing furnace



A. M. MOORE.

HARDENING AND ANNEALING FURNACE. 'APPLICATION FILED 1uLYa.1919.

1,341,661..l r Patented June 1,1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

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A. M. MOORE.

HARDENING AND ANNEALING .FURNACI-.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 3| 1919.

Patented June l, 1920,'

2 SHEETS- SHEET 2.

uNir rare ALFRED M. MOORE7 0F MALDEN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TQ ALFRED M. MOORE AND CHESTER M. MOORE, COPARTNERS, DOING BUSINESS AS MOORE c COMPANY, l

OF MALDEN, MASSACHUSETTS.

HARDENING AND NEALING FURNACE.'

. tion, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to hardening and annealing ovens or furnaces, particularly adapted for small articles such as shoe shank stiffeners and its object is to provide an improved oven of the general type shown in U. S. Patent No. 957,853 issued to me, but having, among others, the advantages hereinafter pointed out and claimed.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a side elevation .of proved furnace;

my im- Fig. la is a detail partly in -section showing the tumbling annealing oven in operative position and .the vgears for moving the same. Y

Fig. 2, a cross section on the line 2 2 Fig. 1; and

Fig. 8, a partial longitudinal section on the line 3-.-3 Fig. 2.

My novel furnace comprises Figs. 1, 2, la rectangular `or otherwise suitably shaped structure including a longitudinal hardening oven 1, herein cylindrical, of suitable material, as metal intoA which the articles may be placed, and preferably coated or covered with a jacket 2 of rasbestos or otherV proper non-heat radiating material.

|The articles may be fed forward by any desired means, as by rotation of the oven at a convenient angle. For this. purpose both ends of the oven are provided with flanges 8, 4, each of which rests upon rolls 5 `carried by a roll carrier 6. The rear, or Fig. 3, left hand carrier has-a flange 7 laterally extended therefrom and receives an adjusting screw 8 with a nut 9, the yscrew being pivotally secured tothe floorat 10 for swinging movement thereon. The carrier k6 .also has a laterally extended arm 10', see dotted lines Fig. A3, which .rests in a slot 1l between Oiuides 12.`

VBy the construction shown, turning of the nut 9 on the screw 8 will raise or lower the Specification of Letters Patent.

end of the oven 1,.the oven being guided in its upward and downward travel by the Patented J une 1, 1920. Applicationrled July 3, 1919. Serial No. 308,384.

arm 10', and thus accelerate or retard the travel of the articles therethrough, 'The oven is rotated, Fig. 2, by a pulley 1,3 on

a shaft 14;, on one side of the oven and` carrying a pinion 15 Vin mesh withgteeth 16 on the front Vcarrier 4.

The opposite end of the carrier 6 is supported by a shaft 17 bearing in the frame 18 and having also on its inner end a pinion 19 in mesh with the teeth 16 by which the shaft 17 is rotated. This construction permits free necessary movement of that end of the oven 1 when adjustment of opposite end by the nut 9iis desired.

The articles are fedinto the oven 1 *fromV a table 20 Figs. 1, 3, -by an agitator 21 in the form of a lever pivoted to the tableleg 22 or any convenient support.

The inner or long arm 23 of the lever overlies .the path ofv a sprocket wheel 24C on the shaft 17 carrying coarse teeth 25 whichV regularly raise the arm 23, and the leverlis returned to normal position by a spring 26 which causes its short arm21 to tap' the bottom of the inclined table andfeejd the articles steadily into the oven 1.

I prefer to introduce the heating mediumdirectly into the retort. This practice has several advantages, one of the foremostbeing that it economizes in the heat required to do the work: and the process .of-heating,

is much accelerated. By using a miXtureof oil and air under pressure the flame may be thrown by a nozzle 26a a long way into the retort and effectively reach the articles practically all the way through the oven, and undue radiation is prevented' by the jacket 2.

As the articles are delivered at the lower end of the oven, they drop intoa perforated pail 27 in an oil bath 28 `for ycooling and are then raised from the bath at the proper time.

For annealing the articles after. they have been hardened l have conceived a novel construction, wherein the annealing oven 29 is open to the direct admission ofthe hot air from the oven 1 by means ofthe flue 30, and this air is all made'use of on chimney. Y

When the articles .to be annealed Vare be .sold by the package, containing .a given number Vby count, .and are' all of uniform Vits way kto the i0..

size they are usually counted, bunched and packed into trays after they are hardened and before annealing.

They can then be advantageously annealed by placing the trays in the annealing oven 29 on the bottom 31 thereof. But Where the articles are hunched in the manner already suggested there is still some danger that the heat will not always reach some of them to a suflicient degree. Therefore, I have provided, for use in such case, and other cases when desired for any reason, a supplementary nozzle or heating device 44 beneath the floor 31 and above the oven 1 by means of which additional or independently usable heat may be used when necessary. In this way the bottom of the oven itself and the trays may be additionally heated by induction as it were, to make sure that the articles are heated sufficiently.

Or if it is desired to obtain a particularly high degree of uniformity in the annealing process, they may be placed with their trays -on the shelves 32, of a revolving rack 33 mounted in the upper `part of the oven. This rack Figs. 2, 3, comprises the heads 34, tied together by the rods 35 and having a shaft 36 mounted to rotate in the bearings V37, 38 in the ends of the frame 18. This rack may be rotated in any convenient manner as by a gear 39, on the shaft 36; in mesh with the worm 40 on a short shaft 41 transversely of the oven. On one end of this shaft is a sprocket 42 rotated by a chain 43 from a sprocket 44 on the shaft 14.

By the use of this oven all articles are brought into approximately the same relation to the different parts of the oven and are uniformly heated.

When however, the articles are to be delivered in quantities loose, as by'weight or unbunched, and when they are not of uniform size and cannot readily be hunched, then they may be conveniently and more quickly annealed in a rotating oven where they are tumbled sufficiently to insure their receiving each a sufiicient degree of heating, and from the same source of heat.

To that end I provide a post 45 adjacent the oven and provide the same with a bracket 46 to which is pivoted at 47 an arm 48 carrying a shaft 49 with a gear 50 and a cylindrical'oven 51. The bracket 46 carries also a curvilinear arm 52 provided with a plurality of slots53 for engaging a dog 54 on a lever 55 pivoted to the bracket 46 and retained in operative position by a spring 56.

On a support 18a on the frame 18 of the oven, at the rear end, and adjacent the post 45, is a shaft 57 carrying a gear 58 and a sprocket 59, the latter driven by a chain 60 from the sprocket k24 previously referred to. The oven 29 is provided at its rear end with a curved door 62 pivoted at 61 to the top of the oven 29, and may be opened or closed by the chain 63. The gear 58 on the shaft 57 is so positioned that when the bracket 46 with shaft 49 is swung on the post 45 to bring the rotating oven 51 into the end of the oven 29, the gear 50 on the shaft 49 will mesh with the gear 58 and be rotated thereby.

When the rotary oven is to be filled, as it may be through an opening 67 not shown in the outer end, Fig. 3, the oven may be raised to-dotted line position Fig. 1 by turning it and its shaft 49 on its pivot 47, the dog` 54 engaging a slot 53 in the arm 52 and supporting the oven in that position.

The oven is then lowered to full line'position Fig. 1, and swung into position, Fig. Y

3, the door 62 closed and the heat fromV When it is desired to discharge its contents it may, by adjustment of dog 54, be turned downwardly into dotted position Fig. 1, and the material readily removedV therefrom.

Claims:

1. A hardening and annealing furnace comprising a movable hardening chamber, means for introducing heat therein, an annealing chamber, a material tumbling annealing chamber, a flue leading from the hardening chamber in heating relation to the annealing chambers.

2. A hardening and annealing furnace comprising a movable hardening chamber, means for introducing heat therein, an annealing chamber, a material tumbling annealing chamber, a flue leading from the hardening chamber in heating relation to the annealing chambers, and means for removing the tumbling chamber from heating relation to the Hue.

3. In aflevice of the class described a movable hardening chamber, means for introducing heat therein, an annealing chamber, a material tumbling annealingchamber, a flue leading from the hardening chamber in heating relation to the annealing chambers, means for removing the tumbling chamber from heating relation to the flue, and a separate annealing chamber heating flue.

4. In a device of the class described a movable hardening chamber, means for introducing heat therein, an annealing chamber, a material tumbling annealing chamber movable relative to the annealing chamber, a Hue from the hardening chamber in heating relation to said annealing chambers, independent heating means for the annealing chambers, and means for agitating the tumbling annealing chamber.

5, In la device ofthe class described a hardening chamber, flanges thereon, rolls for the flanges, an annealing chamber, a material tumbling annealing chamber, means for rotating the hardening and tumbling annealing chambers, a flue from the hardening chamber, a flue between vthe hardening and annealing chamber, means for closing the 'flue between the annealing and tumbling annealing chambers,and means for feeding articles to vbe hardened into the hardening oven. 1

6. A hardening and annealing furnace comprising a movable hardening chamber., means for introducing heat therein, yan annealing chamber, a movable carrier therein, a material tumbling annealing chamber movable relative to the annealing chamber, a flue from the hardening chamber in heating relation to said annealing chambers, independent heating means for the annealing chambers, and means for agitating the tumbling annealing chamber.

7. A hardening and annealing furnace comprising a hardening chamber, means for heating the same, an annealing chamberl and a material ltumbling annealing chamber having a common dividing wall, a Hue from the hardening chamber leading through the an-V nealing chamber and a branch of the iiue leading about the tumbling chamber.

8. A hardening and annealing furnace comprising a hardening chamber, means for heating the same, a flue leading from the chamber, an annealing chamber, and a tumbling annealing chamber adapted to be brought into and removed from heating relation to the flue.

9. A hardening and annealing furnace comprising a hardening chamber, means for heating the same, a flue leading from the chamber, an annealing chamber, a tumbling annealing chamber operative separately and jointly with the annealing chamber.

10. A hardening and annealing furnace comprising a hardening chamber, a flue therefrom, means for heating the chamber, an annealing chamber, a tumbling chamber in heating relation to the flue adjacent the hardening and annealing chambers, and means for removing the` tumbling chamber from operative relation to the flue.

11. A hardening and annealing furnace comprising a hardening oven, a flue leading therefrom, means for heating the oven, anV

annealing oven heated from the same fiue, a tumbling oven mounted for vertical and lateral adjustment relative to the annealing oven and to be brought into and out of operative relation to the flue.

12. A hardening and Yannealing furnace comprising a hardening oven, a gear thereon, a shaft with a pinion in mesh with said gear, means for actuating said pinion, a shaft opposite said first named shaft with a pinion thereon also in mesh with said gear;

guides adjacent the opposite end of the oven to coperate therewith and guide the same vertically, adjusting means for raising the hardening oven, means for feeding the artiand means permitting vertical adjustmentV of the tumbling oven Vfor ing the same. i

13. A hardening and annealing furnace comprising the'hardening oven 1, having a gear 16 thereon, carriers 6 for carrying the filling and emptyoven, means for heating the interior of the oven; guides for one of the carriers 6 for directing the vertical adjustment thereof, the flange 7 on the carrier 6 and screw 8 to cooperate therewith forV raising and lowering one end of the carrier; a frame for the carrier, theshafts 14 and 17 having pinions 15 and 19 thereon in `mesh with the gear 16, for rotating the oven; the annealing oven 29, the Hue 30 leading from the hardening oven to the annealing oven, means for introducing heat beneath the floor of the annealing oven: the door 62 in the flue, the support 45 having the bracket 46 movable thereon, the

shaft 49 and tumbling oven 51 thereon pivotally mounted on the bracket for vertical adjustment, the gear 50 on the shaft 59, whereby the ytumbling oven shaft and tumbling oven may be swung into operative relation with the flue, with the gear 50 in mesh withY the gear 58; means for rotating the gear 53 from the shaft 17,7the quadrant 52 on the bearing 48 receiving the shaft 49, the catch 56 on the bracket 46 for engaging and holding the quadrant 52 with the oven 51 in f adjusted position, the rotary carrier 38, in the annealing oven, and means for operating said carrier from the shaft 42.

14. A hardening and annealing furnace comprising a frame, a moving oven therein, means for introducing heat thereinto, means for feeding articles thereto, Vmeans for moving the oven, means for adjusting the angle of movement thereof, an annealing oven adjacent the first named oven, a flue leading from the moving oven through the annealing oven, and a revolving carrier in the annealing oven. Y

15. A hardening and annealing furnace comprising a movable oven, means for rotating it, means for feeding articles to the oven, means for heating the oven, means for adjusting the angle of rotation of the oven therefrom; an annealing oven adjacent the movable oven, a tumbling annealing oven adjacent the annealing oven, means for rotating the tumbling oven, a flue leading from the movable oven tothe annealing and tumbling annealing ovens and means for removing the tumbling oven from operative relation to the flue.

16. A hardeningV and annealing furnace comprising a frame, an angularly positioned hardening oven, means for rotating the same, means on the frame for adjusting the angularity of the oven7 means for heating the interior thereof; an annealing oven adjacent the hardening oven, a flue leading from the latter to the former oven, a support ad-` jacent the hardening oven, a bracket pivoted thereon, a shaft mounted in the bracket, a

tumbling oven and gear on the shaft adapted to be adjusted vertically to fill and empty the oven, the shaft and oven adapted to be swung into operative relation With the flue and means to rotate the tumbling oven.

17. In apparatus ofthe class described an annealing chamber7 a flue for heating the same, a tumbling annealing oven adapted to be moved into and out of heating relation with said flue; and means for angularly inclining thetulnbling oven7 when it is out of heating relation to the flue, for introducing material into andY discharging it from the oven, and means for agitating the tumbling oven.

In testimony whereof, Ihave signed my name to this specification.

ALFRED M. MOORE. 

